I’m trying to find a thinner beamed (<23mm) racquet that offers excellent spin potential, is easy on the arm (still having some arm pain even though I haven’t played tennis in over a month), gives spot on control, decent power, is between 96-102 sq in, standard length, and weighs between 10.9 and 11.5 ounces strung. 4.0 baseline singles player, looking to transition to the net more, and will be playing much more doubles.

Others I’ve considered are the Head MicroGel Radical MP, Dunlop AG 4D 300 Tour, and Dunlop Bio F3.0 Tour but tend to shy away from 18x20 string patterns. The Mantis Tour 305 but haven’t heard a great deal about Mantis racquets. And the X-Feel Tour from Pacific but really haven't found a Pacific (or Fischer) racquet I've liked in the past. Plus I like the easy customization of the Donnay XDual Racquets.

Gold 99 will be your choice.
It has great control, spin, feel, comfort, and stability.
You can easily customize it to add more power as you know.
You might consider Prince EXO3 Tour 16x18 for spin and comfort but it has lack of stability.
I recently purchased Bio F3.0 Tour. Spin is not that great compared to other 2 rackets.

Coming from the Gamma T-7 I currently own two Donnay racquets; an X-P Dual and another X-Red 99.
Have to consider the original X-Series is providing very much of an old-school flexy feel, plush and solid, not overall powerful. X-P Dual is much more comparable to an actual tweener racquet, however, still this offers an impressive blend of comfort and feel. If one suffers from tennis elbow, I recommend the X-Series over X-Dual Series, though. In that case you may look for X-Orange, Yellow or White and customize it using the Donnay customization kit.
Myself, I am looking to get my hands on another X-P Dual. Love that racquet very much, even I hit the Gamma T-7 for the last 3 years, X-P Dual is now the racquet-to-go for me. Great one, love it!

based on what you have said the gold is where you are leaning, but don't sleep on the silver either.... we sell a lot more silver where I am at than the gold... a little more free power

When I first started looking at the Donnay racquets I will say it was the Gold 99 that first got my attention.

But as I looked at them more, and took a look at the customization kit available, the Silver started looking more like a better choice. I could start with the lighter weight Silver and then add weight to it until I got it the way I wanted. I'm afraid that with the Gold at 11.5 ounces, if I didn't like it stock, by the time I added weight to it then it would be a little more stick than I cared to handle.

After looking at the Silver I thought I would also throw the X-P Dual Black 102 in there as well since it might make a nice 'base' racquet to add some weight to. However it looks as though the Donnay Customization Kit is not longer available at T-W.

I'm still having pain in my right elbow even though I haven't played in over a month, so 'comfort' may become an important category for me.

Thank you for your input.

TripleB

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i would give the silver a go... if you can't track down a weight kit let me know i can help you out there. i wasn't a fan of the 102 as it felt a bit too unstable to me. I feel all the Donnay's play rather comfortable, but that is debated between lots of people who play them. They are kind of a love it or hate it frame

Gold 99 will be your choice.
It has great control, spin, feel, comfort, and stability.
You can easily customize it to add more power as you know.
You might consider Prince EXO3 Tour 16x18 for spin and comfort but it has lack of stability.
I recently purchased Bio F3.0 Tour. Spin is not that great compared to other 2 rackets.

Interesting...i'm demo'ing both the gold and f3.0 right now. the f3.0 has more power and depth. it feels much more solid than the gold. the gold has more feel, easier at the net, and seems to be easier on the arm. the tour has silk in it. and the gold has nxt in the crosses and a blue string in the mains. I wish i could try both with the same strings to get a true feeling. What are your comparisons?

Hey TripleB, I have been demoing the Pro One 16x19, Silver99, Gold99 and XP-dual 102 Black. The Gold99 in the most arm friendly of the bunch. In fact, it's the most arm friendly racquet I have ever hit. That said, I am having a problem hitting the ball short with the Gold99. This may may be due to the increased spin i'm getting on the ball. I have the 10 gr. butt cap and slide weights at 3,9 and 12. I actually cut the slide weights in half. So only using 1/2 a slide weight at each position. I like all the Donnay racquets so far. I'm not sure which I will get yet, but I am leaning toward the Gold99. Just feels like heaven when I hit the ball! Even on miss hits! I also have elbow issues and the Gold 99 never hurts my elbow! The others are soft, but slightly more harsh on off center hits.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TripleB

When I first started looking at the Donnay racquets I will say it was the Gold 99 that first got my attention.

But as I looked at them more, and took a look at the customization kit available, the Silver started looking more like a better choice. I could start with the lighter weight Silver and then add weight to it until I got it the way I wanted. I'm afraid that with the Gold at 11.5 ounces, if I didn't like it stock, by the time I added weight to it then it would be a little more stick than I cared to handle.

After looking at the Silver I thought I would also throw the X-P Dual Black 102 in there as well since it might make a nice 'base' racquet to add some weight to. However it looks as though the Donnay Customization Kit is not longer available at T-W.

I'm still having pain in my right elbow even though I haven't played in over a month, so 'comfort' may become an important category for me.

That said, I am having a problem hitting the ball short with the Gold99. I like all the Donnay racquets so far. I'm not sure which I will get yet, but I am leaning toward the Gold99. Just feels like heaven when I hit the ball! Even on miss hits! I also have elbow issues and the Gold 99 never hurts my elbow! The others are soft, but slightly more harsh on off center hits.

Thanks for taking the time to respond.

I haven't tried any of them yet but "on paper" I might be leaning towards the Silver to get that extra bit of pop and then use the weights to customize it to the weight of my liking. One of my concerns is that the Gold is already 11.5 ounces so to keep it in my target weight range I wouldn't be able to customize it very much, if at all.

I never really had elbow problems in the past but ever since I spent some time with the TT Warrior Midplus a year or two ago my right elbow has been a bit tender. Haven't played tennis in over a month now and it's still tender just from doing everyday tasks (of course traveling around on crutches all the times doesn't seem to be helping it any either).

Again, thanks for your comments.

TripleB

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I played with the silver for several months, and moved to the XP, which is my current racquet. I haven't tried the others on your list.

I like the Donnays because I think they are uniquely arm friendly compared to any other racquets I've hit. I never have any elbow pain, and rarely have any arm soreness compared to other brands.

I also like the thin beams, although for me it's probably more of a mental thing.

XP vs. Silver? For me, the XP 102 Black seems to have a bit more pop. I serve better with it too (get more balls in).

One problem with the silver is how fragile it is. I do not abuse my racquets by deliberately hitting things (other than balls). However, during my serve follow through, my silver slipped out of my sweaty hand onto the court (rubico soft court) and the frame cracked all the way through. I don't think the racquet hit the ground very hard as I was even trying to catch it as it left my slippery hand. I don't think the XP would have cracked in the same situation.

One problem with the silver is how fragile it is. I do not abuse my racquets by deliberately hitting things (other than balls). However, during my serve follow through, my silver slipped out of my sweaty hand onto the court (rubico soft court) and the frame cracked all the way through...

I have had the same experience one time with the X-Red, but luckily nothing happened to the frame. Joyful one, but to much swing weight against heavy hitting opponents.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AR15

I played with the silver for several months, and moved to the XP, which is my current racquet...For me, the XP 102 Black seems to have a bit more pop. I serve better with it too (get more balls in).

Agree on the power but yet it is very controlable power, and serving is great.
Let the OP make his own experience, looking into his racquet history on this board, we should not worry too much the time will come, that he will appreciate the strengths of X-P Dual

I played with the silver for several months, and moved to the XP, which is my current racquet. I haven't tried the others on your list.

I like the Donnays because I think they are uniquely arm friendly compared to any other racquets I've hit. I never have any elbow pain, and rarely have any arm soreness compared to other brands.

I also like the thin beams, although for me it's probably more of a mental thing.

XP vs. Silver? For me, the XP 102 Black seems to have a bit more pop. I serve better with it too (get more balls in).

Did you use any weight customization with the Silver or XP Black 102? If so, what was your favorite set up?

I was hoping to stay under 22mm for the width (mental thing with me as well) and notice that the XP Black 102 is 23mm in some spots...where is this racquet the widest? Does it "play like a wider bodied racquet?"

Is the Black just as friendly on the arm as the Silver? I see the specs say it is slightly more flexy but I was just wondering if the lighter weight might cause stability problems with shock being translated to the arm.

Thanks for your input!

Quote:

Originally Posted by gd!

Agree on the power but yet it is very controlable power, and serving is great.
Let the OP make his own experience, looking into his racquet history on this board, we should not worry too much the time will come, that he will appreciate the strengths of X-P Dual

Thanks for the input...do you find the X-P Black 102 to be arm friendly as well? The longer I go without playing tennis and still having my elbow hurt, the more I think that 'arm friendliness' is the most important factor in my next racquet.

Yea...hopefully these racquets are still around when I'm able to get back out on a tennis court - June 2013. If they go super cheap before then I may just have to purchase one (along with the Customization Kit) and go with it.

TripleB

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i tried all three before i settled on the silver. gold to me was the most solid but also felt a little sluggish. x-dual 102 played the most tweener-ish for me. wasn't convinced it would hold up to heavy hitting without a lot more weight. the silver was right in the middle weight wise and gave me room to either play with it stock or use the customization kits to bring up the weight.

i'm currently enjoying 0+ gram buttcap with 3 gram weight slide at 12 o'clock. using one overgrip. notice a lot more power and less vibration on shots near the top of the hoop. also tried and loved the 5+ gram buttcap and slides at 3 and 9 -- but only for baseline bashing. a huge amount more pop and stability.

comfort wise i found all three donnays to be really comfortable. but none of them were as arm friendly as the exo3 tour. but all three donnays also had a lot better feel and feedback. no more mushy response.

Did you use any weight customization with the Silver or XP Black 102? If so, what was your favorite set up?

I was hoping to stay under 22mm for the width (mental thing with me as well) and notice that the XP Black 102 is 23mm in some spots...where is this racquet the widest? Does it "play like a wider bodied racquet?"

Is the Black just as friendly on the arm as the Silver? I see the specs say it is slightly more flexy but I was just wondering if the lighter weight might cause stability problems with shock being translated to the arm.

Thanks for your input!

Thanks for the input...do you find the X-P Black 102 to be arm friendly as well? The longer I go without playing tennis and still having my elbow hurt, the more I think that 'arm friendliness' is the most important factor in my next racquet.

I plan to try the weights on the XP again. The short hitting session I had with the weights at 3 and 9 seemed to make the frame's swing weight much heavier.

Yea...hopefully these racquets are still around when I'm able to get back out on a tennis court - June 2013. If they go super cheap before then I may just have to purchase one (along with the Customization Kit) and go with it.

TripleB

Yes, I have experimented with the weights on both frames. I find I like the XP 102 stock with no weights. My fav combination with the silver was to leave the stock butt grip weight, but use one weight strip at the top of the frame.